The Student Council Special

Hello families!

Can you believe another whole school year has come to an end? It seems like the time flew by! There have been many fun events & activities going on for all grades to take part in during the fourth quarter. Our fourth graders have been especially busy during these last two months with all kinds of testing & incentives for the effort they showed and growth they made on those tests.

I have so enjoyed working with my group of Student Council members this year! They did an excellent job on each newsletter, and were always willing to help out when needed around the school. I know that each and every one of them will go on to do great things in middle school and beyond! Thank you, Student Council members, for all of your hard work! I'll miss you next year, along with all of my fourth grade friends!

We hope that you have enjoyed reading these articles as much as we did creating them. I'm wishing everyone a safe, wonderful summer! We can't wait to see you again in September! :)

Thank you! Go Dolphins!

Miss Manzo

As the third and fourth graders prepared to take the Ohio State Tests, parents & guardians were invited in to get a sneak peek at what their students were expected to know and do on the tests. Aniyah & Jioneliz give you a run-down of what the fourth grade event was like:

There were different stations that families rotated between. In Mrs. Merker’s class, we completed practice ELA OST multiple choice questions. In Miss Manzo’s class, we looked at anonymous OST writing responses from tests in years past. We rated those responses using the rubric that the OST judges use to score the responses. In the library, teachers gave us ideas of the kinds of nutritional breakfasts we should eat on the morning of the OST. We played a game where we got a balloon and your parent would hold the balloon open while you pour bird seeds in the ballon. Then, after you did that either you or your parent would tie the balloon. Lastly, we went to Ms. Lynch’s class and do practice Boom Cards to review what we have learned in math during the school year. Afterward, we felt super prepared for the OSTs!

By: Aniyah & Jioneliz

Before the Ohio State Tests, the 3rd and 4th graders had a pep rally to motivate us to do well on the ELA and math tests. During the pep rally, there were challenges like a hula hoop contest and there were prizes for the winner. There was also a game where teachers had to stick as many sticky notes as they could on a student. The teams with the students that had the most sticky notes on them won medals. Ms. Walden also prepared questions for us, so that we would know how we could earn enough tickets during our testing to attend a fun event after.

By: Leelend & Caleb G.

We had an OST Dance to celebrate our hard work leading up to the tests. To get into the dance you needed to have earned at least 20 stickers for effort and behavior during ELA "Training Camp," the month of preparation leading up to the OSTs. The dance had chips, drinks, and songs that the kids choose. The dance took place in the gym of the school. There was a fun teacher trivia game that we played, as well. It was fun to have some free time, hanging out with friends from each fourth grade class!

By: Freddy & Jonathan

During MAP testing, we were given a punch card. You could earn four punches for both the ELA and math MAP tests. We earned punches by showing good behavior, putting in effort, being on time for school, showing our work on our scratch paper for the math test, and working for a certain amount of time. If you earned six punches, you were allowed to play in the kickball game. If you earned seven, you could play in the game and get a drink. If you earned eight, you played in the game, got a drink, and a snack. The drink was a Capri Sun the snack was Taki's, a fourth grader's dream! The team that won was Mrs. Esser's! We had a blast!

The 2nd and 3rd graders also take the MAP tests. They worked hard to reach their growth goals & earn punches in order to be able to participate in their own fun incentives, as well.

By: Autumn & Layla B.

Over the last couple weeks, the fourth graders have worked on a poetry unit. We learned about many different kinds of poems. We had an event called Poetry Cafe, where we could share one of our poems, whether it be acrostic, parody, etc. There were treats for us to enjoy, such as cookies, donut holes, and pink lemonade. Our drinks were in Starbucks cups! Miss Manzo gave us a speaking score based on how well we read with emotion, spoke loud and clear, and read in formal English. We would snap instead of clapping our hands to show that each person did a great job on their poem, as true poets do.

By: Chloe & Zack

We have a few special teachers retiring this year. Two of our Student Council members took some time to think about their favorite memories with those teachers and write some well wishes. We are all wishing them the happiest of retirements & will miss them so much! Once a dolphin, always a dolphin! :)

Ms. Lynch (4th, math): I always loved it when Ms. Lynch said “SLOW DOWN, Adalberto!” She was also very fun with us, like when she played “What’s Your Problem?” We all would scream “What’s Your Problem?” Mrs. Esser and Mrs. Merker had made a free verse poem for Ms. Lynch in honor of her retirement and presented it at Poetry Cafe. It was very touching! We will miss you very much! -Adalberto

Ms. Pesta (2nd): I remember in second grade I learned cursive and other things I never knew. Ms. Pesta would always say “hello” to me in the hallways, and it made me feel special knowing she remembered me after second grade. We will miss you! -Tommy

Ms. Cicero (art): We did A LOT of fun projects with you. I especially liked the flip-flop art project you had us do. You are the best art teacher EVER! Enjoy retirement! -Tommy

By: Tommy & Adalberto

We asked our mystery teacher for quarter three a series of questions:

1. Do you have kids? Yes

2. What is your favorite subject to teach? Reading

3. What is your favorite snack to eat? Nacho cheese Doritos

4. Can you speak a different language? No

5. What are your hobbies outside of school? Cooking and spending time with my kids

6. What your favorite holiday? Christmas

7. What is your favorite season? Fall

8. How many years have you been teaching? 21 years

9. What is you favorite store? Target and Kohl's

10. What's your favorite food? Pizza

If you guessed Mrs. Verhosek, you were correct!!! Mrs. Verhosek is one of our first grade teachers! Maybe some of you have had the pleasure of having her as a teacher in the past or will have her next year!

A word from Mrs. Hovan:

So we are sad to say, that Jack never fully decomposed like he did in the book. We think that maybe if we had a little more time, it might have happened, but I guess we will never know because summer break is here! We are happy that Jack was with us for the school year and still have hope that maybe, just maybe he will come back...I mean maybe he has a brother or sister out there that we can welcome to our classroom:)

Thanks for following us along in our little "Pumpkin Jack" Experiment. Just like real "grown up" scientists, we have learned that things do not always happen like you planned, but that doesn't mean you give up, you go back, look at the observations/findings, ask questions, and then formulate a new hypothesis, and maybe just maybe we will be able to say "Welcome Back Jack" just like Tim did in our story!!